


Spring Cleaning

by britney1here



Category: Shameless (US)
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M, One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-08
Updated: 2020-03-08
Packaged: 2021-02-28 21:28:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,379
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23073973
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/britney1here/pseuds/britney1here
Summary: A long forgotten box in the closet leads to possible revelations
Relationships: Ian Gallagher/Mickey Milkovich, Mickey Milkovich/Original Male Character(s)
Comments: 8
Kudos: 43





	Spring Cleaning

**Author's Note:**

> I finally was able to see Cameron's episode/segment of Love Daily and it made me feel sad so I instantly had to go watch Gallavich to get that out of my mind but then I decided to do a Gallavich version of it haha
> 
> The episode/segment is called Gifts From My Ex  
> I was even tempted to title this story that but then thought that might be too much
> 
> I suppose you could say Mickey is ooc since he uses the word babe at some point but this is an AU so I don't know
> 
> I don't know what other disclaimers to add

Mickey went from room to room picking up stray t shirts, tossing them in large black garbages. He was a man on a mission and that mission was spring cleaning. As soon as the clocks skipped forward, he decided he needed to declutter his life and that meant old shirts, knick knacks, and any other thing he hadn’t used in the past year was going bye bye. The process would go a lot smoother if his boyfriend was actually helping with the decluttering instead of just sitting against the bed, focus solely on the picture he’s sketching, using a book as an easel against his knees. Never in a million years would Mickey have thought he would end up with an artist type but apparently he was a sucker for the adorable genius with a pencil and sketch pad. He took a moment to just watch as his guy shaded a piece of his drawing before throwing a balled up shirt at his head. 

“Mickey” came the exasperated response though he didn’t raise his head. Mickey smiled as he threw another shirt this time getting the desired response of Alex looking up at him. 

“Yes, my love?” Alex said, eyes big and voice playful. Mickey smiled at the term of endearment and walked towards Alex, stopping in front of him and dropping the garbage bag full of things beside him. 

“You know, this would go alot faster if I didn’t have to stop to ask what to toss and what to keep” he stated crossing his arms across his chest. Alex nodded and looked around, spotting the shirts that had been thrown at his head. 

“Well, I’m definitely keeping these. They’re my good luck charms”. 

“They have pit stains.”

“Yeah, my pit stains and everyone knows the more essence infused into the item, the luckier they are” he said with a cheeky smile. 

“You’re an idiot and it’s getting trashed” Mickey laughed as he unfolded his arms to reach for the shirts. Looking inside the trash bag, Alex shook his head as he sifted through the thrown out items. 

“You do realize that like 85% of the stuff you’re tossing is my shit, right?” 

“That’s because you’re a fucking pack rat” 

“Sentimental” 

“Hoarder” Alex laughed as he threw his head back. 

“You’re such a dick” he said with a fond smile. 

“Flattery won’t stop this stuff from getting trashed” Mickey replied, giving his boyfriend a brief kiss on the lips and soft slap on the cheek before he went back to searching the drawers and closets for things to add to the bag. Mickey paused as he opened a box in the closet that had assorted stuffed animals and cards, some that were store bought and a few hand made. “Aww, ain’t this sweet” Mickey teased as he looked through the box before finally pulling out three colored pieces of twisted plastic. 

“Fuck’s this” he asked holding up the item for inspection. Alex jumped up and took it from Mickey’s hand. 

“It’s a lanyard that someone made for me” Alex said looking at the keepsake softly. 

“Someone special?” 

“Someone from summer camp back during middle school. No big deal.” 

“You’re holding it awfully tenderly for it not to be a big deal” Mickey replied putting the box down on the dresser. Alex sighed and sat down on the bed. 

“It’s really not a big deal; it’s just this girl gave it to me on the last day of camp. And she may have been my first kiss. And we may have dated for a bit” Alex confessed as his fingers felt the hard plastic in his hands. 

Mickey nodded and glanced at the box on the dresser. 

“Is this whole box stuff from your relationship with her?” Alex smiled as he stood up and put the lanyard back in the box. 

“I guess you could call it my Anna box” he joked as he looked through the box, a nostalgic smile on his face. 

“How did it end?” Mickey asked conversationally as he went back to clearing out the closet. 

“She moved away after the first semester of high school. Funny enough, she recently moved back here a couple of months ago” Alex divulged as he put the top back on the box. 

“Do you still have feelings for her?” Mickey asked, deciding the closet was sufficiently cleared out. Alex barked out a laugh and wrapped his arms around him. 

“Wha.. that’s so.. I mean what even?” he stammered. “Of course not” 

“So, you don’t mind if I toss it then?” Mickey said, reaching for the box. 

Alex quickly put a hand on the top of the box, earning a quirk of the eyebrow from Mickey. 

“What’s the problem? I mean if you don’t still have feelings for her and this box isn’t a big deal, why can’t it be thrown away?” 

“Because it has sentimental value. Because they were gifts and it’s an unspoken rule that you’re not allowed to throw away gifts.” Mickey snorted and rolled his eyes. 

“Haven’t you ever kept anything from your past relationships?” 

Mickey hummed as if in thought before shaking his head, “Nope, can’t say I have”. 

“What? What kind of heartless monster doesn’t keep anything from their past?” Alex asked, eyes wide in incredulity. 

“My exes are exes for a reason, so what’s the point of keeping reminders?” 

“So, if we were to split, you would just toss out all the heartfelt drawings I’ve given you?” 

Mickey crossed the space between them and softly touched Alex’s cheek. 

“Of course not babe” he said kissing him gently then pulling away. “They will be worth a shit ton of money someday” he continued with a wicked smirk. 

Alex gasped in mock outrage before shoving him away and knocking him to the floor where they playfully wrestled and laughed as they tried to one up the other.

*****

Alex gently got out of bed and went back to the box that was still on the dresser. He smiled as he looked at the box. He hadn’t thought of Anna in years but now he found himself wondering what she might be like now or what she was up to. That’s probably totally normal after such a long time and then being confronted with relics of the past. Who doesn’t get nostalgic? Well aside from his fortress of a boyfriend but that was part of the reason they worked; Mickey was the straight talking and logic guy while Alex tended to follow his emotions which led to a closet full of memories. Mickey snuffled in his sleep and turned over, reaching his boyfriend causing said boyfriend to smile. Maybe he should just follow Mickey’s lead and throw the box away. Alex nodded nodded to himself, an attempt to strengthen his resolve before grabbing the box and placing it in Mickey’s giant trash bag. He nodded to himself once again before turning away and getting back in bed to cuddle with his boyfriend.

Mickey woke up early and continued his spring cleaning, though at this point there wasn’t much to add so he ended up just tying up the bag and taking it out the garbage. He figured since he was already up, he might as well run some errands and there was no point in waking up Alex. He came back a few hours later to a smell that made his nose crinkle in disgust as he looked around for the source. 

“What the fuck’s that smell?” he asked as he walked further into the apartment. 

“Smell? What smell?” Alex queried, full of faux innocence. Mickey just raised his eyebrows and crossed his arms. 

“Alright, I couldn’t get rid of the box” Alex confessed. 

“So, you went dumpster diving?” 

Alex sighed and nodded. “Not my finest moment but it had to be done.” 

Mickey smiled and shook his head. Lucky Alex was cute. 

“I think you need closure with Anna.” 

“What are you even talking about?” 

“You said she moved back here; so I think you should meet up with her and get some closure and then you won’t be stuck on some box” Mickey explained. 

“This is so stupid; I’m not.. It’s just..” Alex trailed off. 

“Look, if it’s no big deal then it’s no big deal so it shouldn’t be a problem”. 

Alex scoffed and shook his head. “You know, I’ve been thinking about how you said you don’t keep any reminders of your past relationships but what about your social media cause I seem to remember a little shrine to a certain redhead.” 

“It’s not a shrine” Mickey argued. 

Alex hummed and tsked, “I don’t know, having an album that you can and do go back to look at seems a bit like having a box in the closet except yours is available anytime, anywhere. Maybe you need to get closure too”. 

“This is such bullshit” Mickey muttered as he realized what he would end up having to do. 

“As a wise man once said ‘if it’s no big deal then it’s no big deal and shouldn’t be a problem” 

Alex smirked to which Mickey just gave him the middle finger before walking to the kitchen, earning a hearty laugh. 

*****

The bar was intimately lit, it was casual and comfortable yet Mickey still found himself nervous. It’s kind of ridiculous that this was even his idea but he would be damned if he was going to be a hypocrite and not follow through. So here he was, meeting a guy he hadn’t seen in like a year and a half. They hadn’t even dated long, only 6 months but fuck were those 6 months like years. They fought hard, they fucked hard, and they laughed hard but eventually it was just too much. It was not easy being in a relationship with someone with bipolar disorder especially when they didn’t always follow through with their treatment, whether it was taking meds or seeing their therapist. Mickey would be lying if he said the other man never crossed his mind but he had moved on. Mickey’s thoughts were interrupted by the very man he had been thinking about. 

“Hey Mick” he said, voice light and not conveying any nerves. Mickey nodded his head in acknowledgement. 

“Thanks for coming.” 

“Thanks for the invite” Ian replied before waving down the bartender and giving his drink order. 

“I gotta say, my brother was pretty surprised when I told him I was meeting you. Granted, he was also surprised when we stopped talking” Ian shared as he nodded his thanks to the bartender before taking a drink. 

“Don’t people usually stop talking after they break up?” Mickey grumbled, bringing his drink up in part to hide his face. 

“True but we were also friends so losing that.. Well, it was a bit jarring, I guess. Going from all to nothing” Ian said softly. 

Mickey bit his lip and rubbed his hands on his jeans. Fuck, when was the last time he was this nervous. It was just Ian. Ian who looked just as good as he remembered except his hair was a bit longer. Perfect to pull. Mickey quickly shook the thought from his head. He was not falling down that rabbit hole. 

“Yeah, I didn’t know how to go back, you know? But maybe we can do better now. The whole ‘older, wiser’ thing, you know?” Mickey offered. 

Ian smiled and dipped his head slightly, “I would like that.” 

After a few minutes, all the nervousness that Mickey had felt had evaporated and it was like no time had passed between them. It was like they were friends again with their inside jokes and teasing each other. Mickey also learned that Ian had been sticking to his bipolar treatments and routine. If for no other reason but because of how important his job was to him. 

“An EMT huh? Never grew out of that hero complex thing, huh?” 

“Oh fuck you” Ian laughed, “It just felt right, you know. It’s hard but it’s rewarding and I’m pretty good at it.” 

“I’m not surprised. I always knew you had it in you” Mickey stated honestly. They shared a smile then a look before both turning away and clearing their throats. 

“So, seems like you’re pretty much living the dream; with the job and new found cooking ability and now a dog” Mickey chuckled as Ian flipped him off over the cooking comment. 

“Well, it is pretty perfect, could use some modifications though” Ian stated pointedly. Mickey said nothing as he took another sip of his drink.

*****

“So how was your date with Anna?” Mickey asked as Alex walked into the room. Alex rolled his eyes and fell on the bed dramatically. 

“I can officially part with the Anna box now. Closure achieved” he proclaimed, slamming his fist on the bed. Mickey chuckled and brushed his chestnut brown hair back. 

“And how was your date with Ian?” Alex asked, turning his head to look at Mickey. 

“It.. was good” he replied with a slight smile, not knowing how else to describe the night he had. 

“Well my man _does_ always have good ideas” Alex teased as he poked Mickey’s side. 

“And don’t you forget it” Mickey retorted, swatting at Alex’s hand causing both men to laugh.

*****

“Holy shit Mick! We’re going to be late!” 

“Calm your tits! I’m almost done” Mickey said rifling through his drawer, looking for the tie his boyfriend insisted he wear. As he moved things around, he came across a book with a piece of paper sticking out. Mickey picked up the book and opened it, smiling as he saw the sketch from all those years ago. 

“Wow, you look so good. Forget about the tie” Ian said coming into the room and eyeing Mickey up and down. Mickey snorted and rolled his eyes. He put the sketch back in the book and put the book back in the drawer before turning around. 

“Is his highness sure? I mean you were pretty fucking adamant about it” Mickey snarked as he unbuttoned a couple buttons on his shirt. 

“Well, I’m an idiot” Ian replied, wrapping his arms around Mickey’s waist and leaning down to kiss him.

Maybe there was something to be said for sentimental value.

**Author's Note:**

> So thoughts?  
> Did it give anyone mixed feelings? Negative feelings? Positive feelings?
> 
> If there are any suggestions about a better summary, I'm all ears. If there are suggestions about how I should tag this, feel free to mention that.


End file.
